Bill Clinton cornered Loretta Lynch at Sky Harbor and it wasn't just to say hello

Opinion: For the first time, we hear Bill Clinton's account of why he cornered then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch hostage at Phoenix Sky Harbor.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch crossed paths with former President Bill Clinton at Sky Harbor during her visit to the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in Phoenix on June 28, 2016.(Photo: Associated Press)

For the first time, we hear Bill Clinton’s version of events, on why he delayed his flight out of Phoenix and waited for Lynch’s plane to land then talked himself aboard to meet with the nation’s top law enforcement official – the woman whose agency was at the time investigating whether his wife Hillary should face criminal charges.

"I just wanted to say 'hello' to her and I thought it would look really crazy if we were living in [a] world [where] I couldn’t shake hands with the Attorney General, you know, when she was right there," Clinton is quoted as saying, in a report released Thursday by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Yeah, sure.

'He was literally there'

CLOSE

Attorney General Loretta Lynch comments on an impromptu meeting at Sky Harbor with former President Bill Clinton on June 28, 2016, during her visit to the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in Phoenix. Mark Henle/azcentral.com

Lynch at the time said they never discussed the investigation and mostly talked about grandkids. But she acknowledged that the 20- to 30-minute tarmac tête-à-tête was a problem.

As a result, she announced that she would accept whatever recommendation then-FBI director James Comey made on whether to bring charges against the then-presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

The IG report , released Thursday, describes an awkward situation in which Clinton basically barged onto the plane and settled in for a long chat.

Lynch reported that she and her husband were getting ready to disembark when a member of her security detail told her that Clinton wanted to say hello. She gave the OK.

"And he was literally there … right there in the doorway so quickly," she told investigators.

Awwwkward

Lynch reported that she felt increasingly uncomfortable as the minutes ticked by and Clinton showed no signs of leaving.

So did her aides, sitting in a car on the tarmac until one of them finally re-entered the plane in hopes of breaking up the confab.

Apparently, it was quite the cozy conversation, given that the pair apparently had no real social relationship. They talked about Clinton’s golf game that day, the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the coming arrival of Clinton’s grandchild.

Also, the health of Janet Reno, “Brexit” and West Virginia’s coal issues.

The subject of the investigation into Hillary Clinton never came up. But really, did it have to?

Clinton’s bold maneuver put Lynch in a tight spot.

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An airport runway might be the last location you would name as a place of conflict, but in the Phoenix area, it has been the site of heated arguments, criticized meetings, a lockdown, arrests, accidents and other rare events. Take a look at what's happened. Patrick Breen/The Republic

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence head down the steps from Air Force One at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on Aug. 22, 2017. Pence arrived at Sky Harbor aboard Air Force Two moments before. Patrick Breen/The Republic

On June 28, 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch crossed paths with former President Bill Clinton at Sky Harbor during her visit to the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in Phoenix. Lynch told reporters that as she was leaving, the former president spoke to her and her husband on the plane. "Our conversation was a great deal about his grandchildren. It was primarily social and about our travel," Lynch said. Associated Press

On Sept. 18, 2014, Phoenix police shut down Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor for more than two hours as they searched for an armed robber. All incoming flights were suspended and hundreds of travelers at Terminal 4 waited as police searched one of the busiest airports. Charity Edsitty

On Dec. 25, 2013, a man jumped the north fence near Terminal 3 around 5:30 p.m. and onto the tarmac at Sky Harbor. According to Phoenix police Officer James Holmes, the man ran onto the tarmac and then made his way to the taxiway. It was airport security that saw the man and alerted a recently landed Southwest Airlines plane, and the pilot turned off the plane's engine. Michael Chow/The Republic

In January 2012, Gov. Jan Brewer and President Barack Obama exchanged words on the tarmac at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. When asked what happened, Brewer said, "He was a little disturbed about my book...," in reference to her published book, "Scorpions for Breakfast." The viral photo captured Brewer pointing her finger at the president. AP

On March 25, 2004, fitness guru Richard Simmons was arrested and accused of assaulting a man at Sky Harbor airport, according to police. Simmons crossed paths with a Mesa MMA fighter and Harley Davidson salesman, whom police said he slapped after being teased about "Sweatin' to the Oldies." The case was later dismissed. Getty Images for MTV

New York Times best-selling author John Irving's 1989 novel, "A Prayer for Owen Meany," inspired a song by Mesa rock band Jimmy Eat World. Inspired by Irving's book, the 1999 song, "Goodbye Sky Harbor," was featured on the band's third studio album, and lead guitarist Jim Adkins wrote the song while on a plane. Tony Woolliscroft

After winning the Jan. 2, 1999 NFL playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona State University and Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer made a reference to the football movie, "The Waterboy" in front of ecstatic fans at Sky Harbor. Plummer said, "It's been a saying for us for the last few weeks: We can do it!" Getty Images

On Nov. 11, 1969, the 25-year-old the lead singer for the Doors, Jim Morrison, was arrested at Sky Harbor. While flying from Los Angeles to Phoenix to attend a Rolling Stones show at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Morrison and 29-year-old Thomas Baker were arrested and taken into custody by Phoenix police on suspicion of drunken and disorderly conduct and interference with flight crew members or flight attendants. Associated Press

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And there she was -- the person overseeing the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account and private server while secretary of state -- maneuvered into a private meeting with Bill Clinton.

And what of the message to the FBI? Comey was left to make a recommendation to a boss who was apparently so tight with the Clintons that Bill Clinton could just waltz onto her plane to talk about the grandkids.

Then again, maybe it really was as innocent as Bill Clinton claims.

Maybe Clinton, a lawyer, just never realized the implications of meeting privately with the head of the law enforcement agency investigating his wife.

Who me?

Clinton, for his part, told investigators he was surprised that the meeting caused a dust-up.

"I don’t know whether I’m more offended that they think I’m crooked or that they think I’m stupid," he told investigators. "I’ve got an idea, I’ll do all these things they accuse me of doing in broad daylight in an airport in Phoenix when the whole world can see it ..."

I don't imagine there are many people in America who would call Bill Clinton stupid.

ABC15’s Christopher Sign broke the story of the Lynch-Clinton meeting, a few hours after it occurred. Sign reported at the time that sources told him that federal agents were on the tarmac, telling bystanders “no photos, no pictures, no cell phones.”